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Some circles can be seen to have adopted a monotonous and exceedingly joyless Muslim model totally different to that revealed in the Qur’an. One of the main errors made by these people, who are weak in faith, very pleased with themselves and who behave quite uninterestedly when it comes to preaching the moral values of the deen, is to imagine that the life of this world consists of getting married, having and raising children and earning money. These are all certainly consistent with Islamic moral values. The error here lies in a believer forgetting his responsibilities to Almighty Allah and aiming solely to get married and raise children, avoiding using the goods bestowed by Allah on the path of Allah and spending all his time on activities such as gossiping about other Muslims instead of preaching the moral values of the religion.

Adnan Oktar describes the character traits and life style of those who adopt this mistaken Muslim model in great detail in interviews and calls on all Muslims to avoid falling into heedlessness of this kind.

The main reason for the fragmentation in the Islamic world for many years and the violence and oppression suffered by Muslims in various parts of the world is that some Muslims regard it as enough to pray, fast and go on the hajj, avoid any activities requiring self-sacrifice because they are concerned solely with their own comfort and take no interest in any problems facing their Muslim brothers across the world.

Examples of the Muslim Model That Is Weak in Faith, Pleased with Itself, Uninterested in religious Moral Values and Distracted by the Life of This World

"Their Sole Aim Is to Get Married and Do Business"

“There are people like those described. Who are known to be conservative people recognizing spiritual values. They work somewhere, engage in trade or sell carpets. They have three daughters and a son. The son studies abroad. The girls live at home. Do you know what their job is? To get married and have children, to reproduce. They have no other aim. If you ask the man what his aim is, it is to make a lot of money, do good business. “That is my aim,” he will say. What else can you do? He will ask. When we are bored we go off on the Umra. He hangs a silk rug on the wall with a picture of a mosque on it, and then slurps his coffee.” (From Mr. Adnan Oktar’s interview on Kanal 35 and Kanal Avrupa on January-31, 2010)

Muslims are people of good conscience and who think the best. One of their main characteristics is that they do not discriminate between people on the basis of group, gender, culture, social status or any other worldly criterion. Everyone’s degree of taqwa, faith and closeness to Allah is known to Allah alone. Allah therefore forbids believers, anyone who says he is a Muslim and numbered among the good, to make any comment to the contrary. One has to think the best of everyone who says “I believe” and help them with enthusiasm when they need it.

“They Depict Themselves As Saints (Awliya)”

“I see people talking about religious subjects. They adopt a totally different style, a false one, and try to give an impression of spirituality when religion is being discussed. They look at the sky as if they are flying in the clouds, with music playing behind them, mystic pipes or reeds. They make extraordinarily false gestures, and make strange comments in a false tone of voice, awkward explanations. I have seen many such people. Exaggerated actions, like miming theater. Look carefully from that perspective, they are really strange types. Or people who try to give the impression they are saints; they look at the sky as they speak, for instance, why pipe music rises up from below. They talk about our Prophet (saas) in that way. Why not just discuss him wisely, in plain language, straight up? What need is there for all that? Why the need for such special concentration? The Qur’an gives us reason. Reason stems from the Qur’an. The Qur’an is the reason of the world. The Qur’an is human beings’ reason. A rational or intelligent person is one who abides by the Qur’an. A clever person, a very smart person becomes wise when he abides by the Qur’an. But of course intelligence is created moment by moment. A man is not intelligent the moment he is born, intelligence is created every moment. And reason is created every moment. I mean, there is no fixed reason in human beings. And then there is talking with lots of foreign words, Latin or Arabic. Turkish people, for instance, do not know Arabic. Very few people know it. Why does the Arabic or Latin equivalent have to be used all the time? OK if the other person understands, but they don’t. And the aim is not to teach, either. And since the aim is not to teach Arabic or have the other person learn it by rote, then the aim has to be to show off. “How learned he is,” people will say. We normally talk Turkish. We talk in the rhythms and sounds of Turkish. But if we constantly pronounce words using an Arab accent, or use a half-Turkish and half-Arabic accent, then this really sounds very peculiar indeed. We have to be honest. For instance in Turkish we say “ikhlas”. Meaning a person devoted to Allah, a sincere person. This is how it is used in Turkish. But if we pronounce it as “ikhlas”, people may perceive our accent as deviant from the standard accents, as something different. It is perfect in Arabic, but when one mixes it up with Turkish something very different may emerge. It is a different matter if he cannot pronounce the words properly. But if one solely wants to appear learned and puts on all kind of airs, then that is dishonest. We must speak honestly and sincerely. There is no need to try and speak like a madrassa scholar. In effect telling people, “I have learning that you do not, so learn from me.”

Nobody knows anything at all. Allah manifests things in people, but it is Allah Who speaks. And Allah also creates the listening. And the talking. We are merely instruments, that is all. People are shadow entities. One must always employ a very sincerely form of communication. And that applies when describing the Qur’an. One must avoid nonsense and weird descriptions. Everyone can tell when someone is talking nonsense, but they pretend not to.” (From Mr. Adnan Oktar’s interview on Kocaeli TV and Mavi Karadeniz TV on January-26, 2010)

"The men and women of the believers are friends of one another. They command what is right and forbid what is wrong, and establish salat and pay alms, and obey Allah and His Messenger. They are the people on whom Allah will have mercy. Allah is Almighty, All-Wise.” (Surat at-Tawba, 71)

“They Believe in Slanders Made against Muslims without Checking Them out”

“Believing in the slanders of the masons, communist slanders or the slanders of the alleged Ergenekon organization will render a Muslim responsible in the Hereafter. Look, Almighty Allah says "if a deviator "that is someone who doesn't to abide by a provision of the Qur'an, someone who doesn't act according to the Qur'an, "brings you a report," I seek refuge with Allah from the satan "scrutinize it carefully". Investigate it, that is see it with your eyes, hear it with your ears, or else do not believe in it. But that is not how it happens now. Nowadays, a report about a Muslim appears in a masonic publication and people say, "Well, well, well, look what's going on." They sit at home with their legs crossed, sipping their coffee, taking no risks and striving not at all, generally living the good life, minding their own business, looking out for their children and enjoying the fact everything is fine in the worldly sense. On the other hand you have people, who spend all of what they have on Allah's path, who have withdrawn from all the social aspects of life, and who have entered every kind of danger, and who are therefore exposed to slander, oppression and mistreatment. Yet they still are subjected to those men sitting comfortably at home, still believing what they learn from the masons' newspapers. And on top of all, he is left in a position to defend himself. Those people who do no preaching and do not spread the religion then pass judgment on him. So that Muslim person halts his preaching the word and strives to correct what they have been commenting about him. Whereas, those slackers should at least be saying is, "my friend, let me perform a religious observance, let me check the veracity of reports from a deviator, and do not believe. Let me believe in what I see it with my own eyes and hear it with my own ears." But they don't. So what happens when they don't do this? The merit that Muslim earns, is increased from 10 to a million. Such people are the reasons why others earn merit. That is the wisdom behind their creation. If that person who believed reports from dubious sources did not exist, the Muslim would earn very little merit. These are people who enhance Muslims' merit, and are thus created with great wisdom, to be auspicious. I am saying this so people know the true facts, so they realize their responsibilities in the Hereafter. Or else, these people are useful from that respect.” (From Mr. Adnan Oktar's interview on Adiyaman Asu and Kral Karadeniz TV on January 25th, 2010)

"Those who disbelieve are the friends and protectors of one another. If you do not act in this way there will be turmoil in the land and great corruption.” (Surat al-Anfal, 73)

"Women with This Mindset Do Not Engage in the Intellectual Struggle that Allah Commands for the Dominion of Islam "

"What I say about the headscarf is very important. There are many devout young women. A young girl came the other day, with her eyes cast down on the floor. I spoke to her. “Do you struggle on Allah’s path, do you preach the word?” I asked. She said, “No.” Was she part of any Muslim group? Again not. Why not? I asked. She said she was very shy. So what is your aim in life? To get married, she said. “I want to raise a family.” That is really infuriating. Is this the time to be sitting at home playing housewife? Did the wives of the companions just sit at home playing housewife? Didn’t they know how to be a conservative family, to have husbands with the names Hasan, Huseyin having moustaches. They did not. The wives of the companions waged a heroic struggle before the eyes of Muslims. Our mother Aisha (ra) held discussions for the wives of the companions. She went to preach to the polytheists and the Jews. She was a real beauty, wasn’t she? She fell in love with the Prophet (saas). She married as a manifestation of Allah. But she never sat around indoors. She was always active. Rasulullah (saas) never sat around at home, either. He was always traveling, struggling or preaching. Wasn’t he? That is how Muslims have to be. But they just go and sit indoors together, like clans." (From Mr. Adnan Oktar’s interview on Gaziantep Olay TV on January-30, 2010)

"They Condemn Muslims for Preaching"

"The other side preaches and works and the incidents appear in the press. They are insulted by some members of the press. They say they are spreading corruption. Is your head on straight? You should get married and have children. They say you should preach to your own children. They say they have one or two daughters they are raising. That is what preaching the world really is. The Prophet (saas) used to preach, but you should know your place. Where did you get the idea of preaching from? There is no question of “commanding what is good and eschewing what is evil.” That is the task of the Prophet (saas) alone. That person’s duty, they say, is to sit at home eating rice and gnawing on chicken bones, and then drink coffee. That looks to off-putting to the other side, I cannot describe it. Of course there are some people who are well-intentioned, but naive. I do not include them in this description. The error here is this; they find something to deceive themselves and thus strive to ease their consciences.” (From Adnan Oktar’s interview on Kanal 35 and Kanal Avrupa on January-31, 2010)

People are full of love and peace in Islam, and live in an environment of peace and mutual understanding. Societies with such characteristics can develop fast and grow very strong. In addition, above all else, those who strive for unity and unison are promised help, support and strength from the Sight of Allah. That is why in various verses Allah reminds believers not to fall out with one another, otherwise they will lose strength and be weakened. One such verse reads:

"Obey Allah and His Messenger and do not quarrel among yourselves lest you lose heart and your momentum disappear. And be steadfast. Allah is with the steadfast.” (Surat al-Anfal, 46)

The Moral Values That Genuine Muslims Should Possess

"The Moral Values of the Qur’an Must Be Lived, and Not Just in Appearance"

"The headscarf is also in the Qur’an. It is in Surat an-Nur and Surat al-Ahzab. We cannot say a word against the headscarf. What I am talking about is different. This has been a firm provision for the last 1400 years. The people I am talking about put the headscarf on but neither pray, nor fast nor perform any other religious observance. On the contrary, they gossip and act immorally and act out of self-interest. That is the mindset I criticize, do you see? Otherwise, what complaint can I have about a devout person? There is a hadith. He says that “70,000 people with turbans will follow the dajjal in the End Times.” It is not that I am opposed to the turban. Rasulullah (saas) wore the turban. He wore a turban on his head. Together with my friends I also prayed for years in the mosques with a turban on my head, didn’t I? From ’83 to ’87 we had turbans right down our backs, in line with the Sunna, that is how we prayed en masse in the mosques in those days, everyone knows. I have no problem with the turban. In the mosque is fine, but not on the street. That is unacceptable according to our laws, insha’Allah. The beard is also Sunna. It is the Sunna of our Prophet (saas). Some people wear beards, but are complete frauds. They neither want the global dominion of Islam nor strive to elevate Islam. They strongly avoid anything to do with the world dominion of Islam. What can I say to such people? But how can I remain silent in the face of such people? They wear headscarves, but all they do is gossip from morning till night. Their sole purpose is to get married. They look with hatred on girls whose heads are uncovered. As if they were saints. But those girls with bare heads may be so many times better than them, incomparably better. That girl with the bare head may go to Paradise, and they may go to Hell. Pride and arrogance in the deen is unacceptable. One has to have moral virtue and be affectionate and compassionate, loving and humane and avoid gossip.” (From Mr. Adnan Oktar’s interview on Gaziantep Olay TV on January-30, 2010)

“Such people are truly racing towards good things, and they are the first to reach them. We do not impose on any self any more than it can stand. With Us there is a Book which speaks the truth. They will not be wronged.” (Surat al-Muminun, 61-62

"Muslim Women Must Not Be Passive, But Rather Courageous, Noble and Active"

"Second, the position of Muslim women. Because Muslims consist of men and women, but women are a large number, half and half. Women have generally been marginalized for a long time now. She is asked who she is. She says she is a woman. So what is your job? To get married. And your other job, to have children, to be a mother, and that is all. Anything else? That is all. But that is unacceptable. Muslim women cannot be restricted to that. For one thing, a Muslim woman must be courageous, and noble and active. She must even be more courageous and active than the man. Because women are more effective at communicating and preaching and telling people about Islam. Their position is more important. An excessively timid woman, turned in on herself, withdrawn from all social aspects are no good. There has to be a rational active state of mind." (From Mr. Adnan Oktar’s interview on Adıyaman Asu and Kral Karadeniz TV on January-25, 2010)

"There Must be No Group Divisions in Islam"

"The majority of young Muslim girls do not recognize one another. Because of concerns stemming from being affiliated with a group, they do not talk to one another. One says that she is affiliated to such and such a group, while someone else is a member of another group, so they do not speak. Why? Because we are this way and they are that way. This us and them mindset leads to a very strict exclusion. That is very wrong. Let us imagine the students of one Suleyman Efendi. Men or women, they are very pure, worthy and trustworthy folk. But sometimes they do not talk to one another out of a very unnecessary way of thinking. Take the students of the Nur. They sometimes do not talk to one another. They follow a very strict line, with very strict bounds; that is very wrong, isn’t it? Let us imagine there are young girls who admire Fethullah Gulen very much. They are our sisters, and that is excellent. But there is a group of people who read the newspaper Yeni Asya, and they do not talk to one another. This is very odd and wrong. Whereas they should be watching out for and protecting one another, asking each other round to dine and chatting. It is wrong for them to try and impose their own ideas on one another. One has to respect all ideas. It is very wrong to try and win the other side over when there is a difference of opinion. For example, it is wrong to try and force a Christian to convert to Islam. One should just tell him of the existence and oneness of Allah in an honest manner. The Qur’an should be described pleasantly, not with pressure. The other party should not be made uneasy. One has to respect their beliefs and listen to them, insha’Allah. But it is very wrong to sit down and have a huge row when a difference of opinion emerges among a group of friends. If they are all respected then they can establish friendship among themselves and talk together. This reluctance to talk severely weakens their power of bonding.” (From Mr. Adnan Oktar’s interview on Adıyaman Asu and Kral Karadeniz TV on January-25, 2010)

"You who believe! When you go out to fight in the Way of Allah verify things carefully. Do not say, ‘You are not a believer’, to someone who greets you as a Muslim, simply out of desire for the goods of this world. With Allah there is booty in abundance. That is the way you were before but Allah has been kind to you. So verify things carefully. Allah is aware of what you do.” (Surat an-Nisa’, 94

"Rather Than Finding Fault with One Another, Muslims Must Strive against Philosophies of Denial"

"The third problem is Muslims criticizing and gossiping about one another. Women get together in their homes. They say they have had a religious talk. They start with gossiping; this person has done this, that group has done that... Instead of wasting time on all that, why not think about how to criticize the irreligious, Darwinism and materialism? Talk about the signs leading to faith. Talk about fear and love of Allah. Why criticize Muslims? You get a handful of Muslims. For instance another meeting is held at somewhere else, they read the Risale-i Nur and then they start gossiping. Not all, of course, but some. I do not include everyone but some of them. No one likes a gossip. Nobody has any time for someone who talks behind his back. What need is there for gossip? They are all immaculate people. They should never gossip about one another. They should always look warmly and moderately at one another, with the spirit of love. Only then will Allah help them. They must say, “O Lord, shine Your light on the world”. Bestow world dominion on Islam very quickly. In this century, immediately. That is what they should be saying. If they do that, they will see Allah’s Might. I mean, was there any talk of visas being abolished or Islamic Union before now? But now there are serious developments toward the Turkish-Islamic Union every day. Amazing progress is being made. When I started talking about this 2 years ago, they wondered how I was telling these. People were taken aback. You can look back to those days, if you wish. Look at the press of the time. There was not a word about it. But things have changed 180 degrees over the last 2 years." (From Adnan Oktar's interview on Gaziantep Olay TV on January-30, 2010)

"Muslims Never Fear for Their Own Skins. Muslims Must Be Fully Submitted to Allah"

“They say they recite their prayer beads from morning till night. They say their headscarves are always perfectly in place. They say they pray punctually. That is okay, but everyone does that. A woman can wind a meter of cloth around her head in the comfort of her own home. She can pray in the comfort of her own home. A young person can go to school, graduate as he likes, get married and concentrate on his job and home. But that kind of Muslim is nowhere in the Qur'an. A Muslim will surrender himself completely to Allah. He does so by withdrawing himself from all the social aspects of life. For instance the Prophet (saas) withdrew from all social aspects and strove solely to serve Allah. Do you think that the Prophet (saas) wasn't perfectly capable of sitting at his warm home? But he went on the hegira instead. He hid in the cave of Hira. He travelled for years, and went on the hegira as far as Abyssinia. Those routes were very dangerous. They went round the edge of Africa, by the most difficult paths. Young people of 15-16 went on the hegira with the Prophet (saas), abandoning their families. But they said to other youngsters, "well done, you are very clever. You are very loyal to your families and have not run off after Muhammad (saas). That is what families are all about. You are a level-headed girl who is virtuous and prays. You are educated, you have a job, what business would you have running off after them?" And indeed, some stayed behind; they imagined they were being very clever. But those people, the Companions, went off with the Prophet (saas). They have earned the happiness of both this world and the Hereafter. Now we cannot even find the traces of them on the soil, can we? But their reward in the Hereafter is eternal.” (From Mr. Adnan Oktar's interview on Samsun Aks and TV Kayseri on January 27th, 2010)

Muslims must protect and watch over one another. They must abstain from adopting an attitude against each other based on communal bigotry or any other group bigotry. But, if there are serious abnormalities going on, then of course criticism is required on that. For example, activity aimed at preventing the world dominion of Islam is a serious abnormality, for instance. We can't remain silent in the face of that. Or if someone tries to alter a pronouncement in the Qur'an, we cannot remain silent in the face of that. But apart from that, a unifying language that strengthens love and friendship should be adopted. (From Mr. Adnan Oktar's interview on Adiyaman Asu and Kral Karadeniz TV on January 25th, 2010

"One’s Aim Must Be to Earn Allah’s Approval Above All Else"

“Human being's aim is the approval of Allah, His Mercy, and above all things it is to earn the approval of Allah. A Muslim may just go to school or work, seek to get married or may avoid risks. For instance, it is the same for me, if I wanted to be so; I could have just sit at home. Then I would never be arrested or imprisoned and no reports against me would appear in the press. I would not be put in a mental hospital or put on trial.Nothing untoward would happen to me. I could just live minding my own business. But in the end I would have probably gone to Hell, may Allah forbid. Right? That is why it would be an aberrant behavior to regard that as smartness. I mean, to see those devout Muslims who sacrifice themselves and strive for Allah's approval as feeble-minded and to consider himself wise in such worldly interests would be, on the contrary, just the opposite of wise. They will see that this is the case in the Hereafter. The life of this world is very short. We did not come here to be born, reproduce and die. That is what animals do. They are born, grow, reproduce and die. That is in the description of what an animal is. But this is not the aim of humans. Human beings are born, become a servant of Allah, strive for gaining the approval of Allah, try to live the moral values of the Qur'an, sacrifice himself for the approval of Allah and aim to enter Paradise. Bediuzzaman Said Nursi did not spend 30 years in prison because he was naive or because he didn't think much. While he was serving those 30 years in prison, while he endured those ordeals, a great many families prayed, fasted, did business and ate and drank at home and got married. But they still regarded themselves the same, in the same category with him. That is not so. Allah will question them one by one. In other words, what Bediuzzaman did was right. In other words, to consider himself very smart in fact shows that he is not at all. The really smart person is he who fully submits to Allah. Right?” (From Mr. Adnan Oktar's interview on Samsun Aks and TV Kayseri on January 27th, 2010)